Summary

Description

The Ecotox Program is at the forefront of research to understand the impacts of toxic stormwater runoff on NOAA trust resources, including salmon that spawn in urban and urbanizing watersheds throughout the western United States. This includes high-profile studies on dying coho salmon returning to spawn in urban streams throughout Puget Sound. Ecotox stormwater work has been funded for nearly a decade by the Coastal Services Center, as leads for the ecological resiliency component of the NOAA Coastal Storms Program. In-kind funding has also been provided by the NWR, EPA, the USFWS, and other partners. The science is at the core of the "Water Quality and Sustainable Practices on Land" priority objective for the National Ocean Policy, particularly Action 5. The need for targeted research on toxic runoff is expanding nationally, and Ecotox has recently begun project work with a focus on the Great Lakes. Related science communication continues throughout the PNW, California, and the Gulf of Mexico. Urban landuse modeling correlated with pre-spawn mortality